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TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ) DYSFUNCTION

Do You Have?

• Frequent Headaches or Migraines
• Face or Neck Pain
• Painful Jaw Joints
• Chipped, Worn, or Broken Teeth
• Gridningor Clenching
• Clicking or Popping Jaw
• Ringing Ears or Vertigo (dizziness)
• Congestion or stuffiness of the ears
• Pain in teeth that seems to move around

Clenching? Grinding? Headaches? Migraines?
These problems are all in your head – Literally!

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) describes a variety of conditions that affect jaw muscles, temporomandibular joints, and nerves associated with chronic facial pain. Symptoms may occur on one or both sides of the face, head or jaw, or develop after injury. TMD affects twice as many women then men.

What is the temporomandibular joint? (TMJ)
The temporomandibular joint is a joint that slides and rotates just in front of your ear, consisting of the temporal bond (side of skull) and the mandible (lower jaw). Chewing muscles connect the lower jaw to the skull, allowing you to move your jaw forward, sideways and open and close. The joint works properly when the lower jaw and its joint (both the right and left) are synchronized during movement. TMD may occur when the jaw teists during opening, closing, or side-motion movements. These movements affect the jaw joint and the muscles that control chewing.

What causes TMD?

TMJ disorder does not appear overnight and it often takes years to develop. Many people think that emotional stress causes symptoms of TMJ such as grinding or clenching your teeth but often TMJ problems are attributed to a misaligned bite. When upper teeth do not meet properly to lower teeth, the strain on joints and muscles of the jaw, face, head, and neck can ultimately lead to headaches, jaw pain, and even migraines.

Additionally, trauma or certain tasks, either mental or physical, may cause or aggravate TMD, such as stressful situations. Most discomfort is caused from over use of the muscles, specifically clenching or grinding teeth (bruxism). These excessive habits tire the jaw muscles and lead to discomfort, such as headaches or neck pain.

An estimated 45 million in the U.S. suffer with chronic headaches, with approximately half experiencing headaches so serve they become a disabling as migraines. Migraines affect 28 million people, wher women suffering at three times the rate as men.

It is estimated that 15% of TMJ problems are intracapsular (an internal derangement of the structures of the joint). Only a small percentage of that 15% are a result of trauma. This validates that proper bite alignment is an important component of comprehensive dentistry. Dr. Briskin is committed to staying current on successful methods of TMJ therapy. He has completed over 100 hours of advanced training on TMJ using the latest techniques in this area.

Re-establishing proper occlusion for patients teeth are the first step in allowing associated joints and muscles to work together in a balances manner. Once diagnosis has determined that TMJ disorder is the true origin of your symptoms. Through finding the jaw’s natural position is a relaxed state. Recordings are then made on how you open, close, chew, and bite.

Dr. Briskin used Doppler auscultation to listen to joint sounds to help diagnose problems, particularly to differentiate lateral pole problems from medial pole problems. Doppler auscultation basically amplifies sounds, similar to physician using a stethoscope to listen to your heart to detect problems. The Doppler is an in-office tool to determine if a CT or MRI is required. Through the scans, Dr. Briskin determines the problem as medical pole (very bad) or lateral pole (very common and not alarming).

Many Americans spend years seeking relief from paint headaches and migraines without success. The solution may exist in being effectively and thoroughly treated by a dentist who has advanced training in these techniques.

The highest quality is our constant goal... we strive to exceed your expectations.

547 Saw Mill River Road
Ardsley, New York 10502
914-693-1221